Firefighters worked in short shifts on a blazing, steamy day as they fought a duplex fire at 2321 Fillmore Av. NE. in Minneapolis Sunday afternoon.

Jane Friedmann, Star Tribune

Northeast Mpls. blaze leaves five firefighters with heat exhaustion

July 22, 2012 - 10:54 PM

One resident was injured and five firefighters suffered heat exhaustion in a three-alarm duplex fire Sunday afternoon in northeast Minneapolis.

Fire crews were called to 2321 Fillmore St. NE. on a report of an explosion and fire about 3 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Perry Ebner. They found flames on the first and second floors of the structure, as well as in the basement, and a section of the exterior wall pushed out by a blast from an unknown source, Ebner said.

All of the residents were out of the building by the time firefighters arrived; one was evaluated by medics for possible burns and taken to a local hospital.

The home was severely damaged, and the vinyl siding on a residence just north of the duplex melted. Firefighters and nearby residents steered clear as CenterPoint Energy came to the home to shut off gas; then crews continued their fight in hot, steamy weather. Smoke filled the neighborhood in the late afternoon.

The Red Cross reported it helped four adults and two children from the building's units find shelter after the fire.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, Ebner said. It remains under investigation.